Small, but mighty – the humble Honeybee plays a vital role as a pollinator. Having been domesticated for centuries, Beth Glaysher talks about her most recent project focused on the benefits of ethical beekeeping.

The sound of summer is composed of melodies of bird song and buzzing insects; perhaps among the most notable of those being that of the humble bee. The soft lulling sound of their buzzing as they fly flower to flower is reminiscent of warm afternoons spent lounging in the garden, the sky a hazy blue with white fluffy clouds drifting by.

Bees are an iconic part of our summer landscape; many species lying dormant for winter then awaken as spring begins. They are a pollinator, just like butterflies and moths. Therefore, they are one of the many creatures responsible for providing us with the food we consume, as well as sustaining wildflowers and habitats vital for their existence and our own.

In the UK alone, we have over 250 species of bees, yet unfortunately many are under threat from pesticides and loss of habitat. It is estimated that since the 1930s, we have lost a staggering 97% of our wildflower meadows; an important habitat for many of our pollinators, including the bees.

Beth Glaysher is a photographer recently graduated from Falmouth University after studying Marine and Natural History Photography. For her final portfolio, Beth produced For the love of Bees.

“I knew I wanted to create a project based around the subject of bees for my major project. I have a keen interest in them and wanted to help them in any way that I could. Bees have been in decline now for over 15 years; they need all the help they can get. One way to do this is through bringing awareness to the public and I believe photography is a very powerful and effective tool to achieve this.”

For the love of Bees is a photo-series documenting ethical beekeeping, exploring how this practice is aiding in bee conservation, as well as being a sustainable alternative to commercial beekeeping. Traditionally, beekeeping is the keeping of Honeybees; a species that has been domesticated for centuries. In the UK we only have one species of Honeybee, Apis mellifera, of which there is very few wild colonies, the majority being domesticated. Ethical beekeeping focuses on caring for a colony without intrusive or disruptive methods, such as the use of chemicals, unlike that of commercial, industrialised beekeeping.

“It was through my research that I came across ethical beekeeping and realised this subject was not being made aware to the public as much as it should be. Through the Guildford Beekeepers Association, I was introduced to an ethical beekeeper local to me in Surrey, called Astrid Bowers -Veenman. She agreed to allowing me to photograph her and provided me the opportunity to capture and document the elements involved in ethical beekeeping and her life.”

Beth’s photographs beautifully illustrate the lifestyle of a beekeeper and the lives of the bees under their care. They offer a glimpse into a world that although many are aware of, few know of the work involved in caring for a colony that can grow up to 60,000 strong. Honeybees have a complex, delicate lifestyle – disruption to this can lead to dysfunction within the colony and highly stressed bees. The images taken by Beth capture the care shown by Astrid in keeping her bees happy and healthy, as well as the reality of running a beekeeping business.

“I photographed various aspects of the business, from late autumn to early spring. Everything from all the bee work, beekeeping talks in the local area, visiting the local Hogs Back honey stockist, hive cleaning, candle making, and other interests in Astrid’s personal life. I feel this enabled me to give a deeper, intimate feel to the story that added an emotional connection between the viewer and main subject.”

As previously mentioned, ethical beekeeping focuses on placing the bee’s welfare as a priority. However, what is often the case with commercial beekeeping is that the bees are worked intensively, which inflicts severe stress on the bees. Their natural behaviour, diet, and cycles are often ignored in favour of gaining more profit. Yet, commercial beekeeping is not only detrimental to the bees under the keeper’s care, but also to the local ecosystem. Astrid discusses the impact of commercial beekeeping;

“Commercially the bees will regularly be placed in a monoculture type environment for crop pollination which has an impact on the diet of the bees. Some nectar and pollen is not as nutritious for bees as others. The bees as a result do not get a healthy, varied diet like those that have different foraging in one wide area. As well as this, monocultures are frequently treated with pesticides and herbicides; which can be toxic to bees. It is thought that colony collapse disorder can be the result of such practices. In areas where many honeybee colonies are made to pollinate monoculture crops this inevitably puts pressure on other pollinators, which can have an impact on the ecosystem.”

In the commercial industry, queen bees are essentially factory produced to meet demand; as well as often being imported from overseas which poses a huge threat to biosecurity of local bee populations. Astrid and other ethical beekeepers raise their own queens; only replacing the queen when she is too old and their egg laying is weak which would put the colony at risk. The queen is kept in a way to simulate how she would live in the wild.

“Ethical beekeeping starts with the keeping of the bees in a more natural way where the queen is able to move up and down in a hive like she would be able to in the wild in a tree. Few beekeepers consider what the natural instinct of the Honeybee is. Domesticated queens are generally restricted to a small part of the hive and queens are forced to lay new brood in a box across 11 frames and sometimes with another 11 frames on top; whereas in the wild they would have a more narrow brood nest inside a hollow tree and be able to move up and down with their brood nest.”

Other ethical beekeeping practices also involve using a minimum amount of smoke so as not to stress or panic the bees, not replacing the queen after only one or two years but allowing her to live as long as they produce a worker brood; and leaving the bees sufficient amounts of their own honey during the winter. This is instead of them being fed sugar syrup, which is frequently given in exchange for the removal of all their honey. Sugar syrup is also often used when producing the final honey product.

Commercial honey is often imported from overseas and is also often adulterated. Beekeepers will feed their bees sugar syrup, which mixes in with the honey crop. Another alternative is golden syrup, which is added to the honey to bulk it out. This results in the pale looking honey with little flavour. Through purchasing locally and ethically produced honey, you are not only supporting a local business, but also purchasing a product of quality that has been produced with the local ecosystem and the bees’ welfare as the priorities.

Beth states; “My aim was to offer a unique perspective on beekeeping in the UK, informing people about the positive impacts that ethical beekeeping has. For Astrid, what started out as owning two Honeybee colonies expanded into roughly 90 altogether. Her passion and fascination with bees drove her into becoming a full-time ethical beekeeper for over 10 years, as well as a proud business owner. Astrid, and her husband Stephen, have built a successful business called Hog’s Back Bees and Bee products.”

For the love of Bees offers a glimpse into the world of beekeeping, demonstrating the importance of sustainable and ethical practices for the health of the bees and the ecosystem. If practiced correctly, beekeeping can become a rewarding experience, one that is beneficial for the keeper, bees, wildlife, and the local community as a whole. It is perhaps a practice that is not often discussed enough in conservation. It is through passionate individuals such as Astrid demonstrating the benefits of ethical beekeeping that perhaps a change will be made; and the foundations of ethical beekeeping will become standard practice across the industry.

To find more of Beth’s work, click here.

To find more of Rosie’s work, click here.